Ah, the Chinese Dream—a snappy slogan that promised a utopia where hard work and education would transform every peasant into a prosperous urbanite. Fast forward a few decades, and we find ourselves staring at the debris of broken dreams and dashed hopes, as reality sets in like a bad hangover.
Since the 1980s, over 800 million Chinese supposedly climbed out of poverty, driven by a middle-class expansion that would make any aspiring capitalist salivate. Villagers flocked to cities, and universities churned out graduates like an assembly line of optimists. But today, China’s economic engine sputters like an old clunker, and the dream of upward mobility is fading faster than a cheap shirt in the wash.
Enter Boris Gao, a poster child for the disillusioned. His parents were collateral damage in the great state-owned enterprise downsizing, leaving them to scrape by with a taxi-driving gig and homemaking. Boris, fueled by a blend of grit and desperation, clawed his way to a college degree and even polished his credentials in Hong Kong. But since 2024, his career prospects have been about as promising as a snowball’s in hell.
One company wanted him to work for free—an innovative approach to payroll, no doubt. Another decided his overseas education made him politically suspect. And then there’s the delightful practice of evaluating candidates based on their parents’ social standing. “Your family has low social status,” he was told, as if his lineage were a stock index.
Perseverance, once a virtue, is now a red flag. Struggle, apparently, means you’re not good enough—an interesting philosophy for a nation built on the backs of those who had no choice but to struggle. Meanwhile, the central bank narrative spins tales of temporary slowdowns, as if history hasn’t taught us that economic miracles often come with expiration dates.
So, here we are, questioning the wisdom of a system that promised so much and delivered so little. The Chinese Dream might have been a catchy slogan, but reality is a harsh critic, unwilling to indulge in fairy tales. As the dust settles, we’re left to wonder: was it all just a mirage, or is there still hope hidden beneath the rubble?
